NTF Worksheet.  Cong24.  1-04.
NEBRASKA TAXPAYERS FOR FREEDOM WORK SHEET:
DEFEAT LB 32: ANOTHER PROPERTY TAX.

BACKGROUND.  The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated its interpretation of the Clean Water Act, an unfunded federal mandate, to order cities and other localities to spend millions to purify further the stormwater and utility water running into their streams and sewers from roofs, driveways, parking lots, etc.  States not complying face a $37,500 per day fine. 

LB 32.  Cities, counties, or natural resource districts in the Omaha, Lincoln, and South Sioux City metro areas would levy a new property or sales tax or fee on residential and commercial properties.  Other NE urban areas the tax would hit later.  The Omaha City Council, Douglas County Board, and Papio-Missouri NRD already have voted to enable themselves to levy this tax, although the NRD refused to endorse the bill.  State Sen. Shrock wants natural resource districts to assess an additional 1.8c per $100 property valuation to fund LB 32. Omaha residents would pay about $8 million for the first year of implementation.  Homeowners would pay about $50 per year, grocery store-size businesses would pay $1,000 per year.  Complexes the size of Westroads Shopping Center and large manufacturing sites also would pay $1,000.  Businesses will pass along their added costs to consumers. This bill includes no incentives or tax credits for large businesses to install control ponds to hold water runoff.  Natural resource taxing authorities push this legislation to fund new water quality projects, though they cannot now keep their existing bike trails free of debris and mud or cut tall musk thistle that almost grabs riders off their bikes.  They want to enlarge the creek channels.  The Papio-MO. NRD paid a handsome sum to fund a frivolous footbridge across the Missouri River at Omaha.  Sen. Schrock of Elm Creek, a rural senator, conveniently exempted farmland, ranchland, and undeveloped land from his bill.  It seems unfair to exempt these properties from the provisions of LB 32, as urban dwellers would have to pay higher property taxes to cover stormwater runoff from these vast acreages. Tons of herbicides and pesticides and tons of topsoil roll into NE streams and rivers from rural acreages.   Public school systems and the university systems also are attempting to win immunity from this proposed tax, education officials whining about budget cuts.  Nonprofit entities, exempt from property taxes heretofore, would have to pay this tax.  It is a travesty to initiate a new property tax during this recession.  No one has complained about masses of people getting sick from wading or fishing in local creeks and lakes.  Monies raised would pay for public education, erosion control at construction sites, monitoring of illegal dumping, and more frequent street sweeping.  Masses of citizens are not complaining about street sweeping schedules, law enforcement already monitors dumping, and private construction companies should pay for erosion control.  

TAX FIGHTERS.  Taxpayer groups, chambers of commerce, school districts, hospitals, & church groups oppose LB 32.  

WHAT TO DO.  Contact your congressman and 2 senators to initiate legislation to eliminate this EPA bureaucratic regulation as an unfunded mandate and tax burden on local taxpayers.  Contact your city councilman and county board members to vote NO on enabling legislation or to reverse their votes, if they already have voted to permit this new tax.  Contact your state senator to kill the enabling legislation, LB 32, and instead pass a resolution to constitute a study committee to remove this yoke from NE taxpayers.  The federal mandate does not require that local governments add a new tax to accomplish the EPA objectives.  Moreover, local taxing authorities could use the new tax for other purposes.  Email us for contact information for your elected officials.   

Research and documentation for this worksheet done by Doug Kagan.  This material copyrighted by Nebraska Taxpayers for Freedom, with express prior permission granted for its use by Taxwatchers Inc., Cherry County Taxpayers, Dawes County Taxpayers, Citizens for Local Control, and other groups in the Tax Freedom Network.  1-04.  C